M696 "Teething"

[swampduc]

First, let me say that this isn't intended to be a rant. I really just wanted to see what other people's experiences have been like in terms of quality and reliability of their new 696's (and other Ducs).
I picked up my M696 in late June. I know opinions are somewhat "divergent" on this  , but I really like the looks, and the bike is fantastic to ride: great brakes and handling, nice smooth power and torque. It's my first Duc ( always wanted one), and I love the bike enough that I was looking forward to getting a SBK this summer to go along with it. But lately I've been reconsidering that.
In the less than 7 mos since I've owned the bike, I've had to get the coil issue fixed (1500 miles), a small oil leak checked out (2500), a broken turn signal switch replaced (2500), and intermittent check engine lights checked out (seems to go on and off for a wk at a time, every month or two, no problem or code ever found). Finally, last night, 10 miles from home at 9:30 pm, I hear a pop and my headlight goes out. I'm assuming it's a fuse since the high beam wouldn't work either, though I haven't had a chance to check it out yet.
Now, admittedly none of these things have been major or catastrophic, but they have left me a little disappointed in Ducati's quality control. I mean, this is a brand new bike that is now less than 7 months old. It's sometimes a PIA to deal with, as the nearest dealer is 80 miles away and I work 50-60 hr weeks and am on call 24/7 every other wk. I expected that owning an Italian bike would be a more "involved" experience than owning a CBR or something similar, but this is a little more trouble than I expected from a brand new bike. Then I see threads like BP's describing massive oil consumption in his 1098 (and apparently other owners' as well), and I start wondering what the heck is going on in that factory? Do I need to get rid of this bike in about 15 mos before the warranty runs out? And if I'm going to do that, I guess I should hold off on the oil cooler and steering damper I was going to get done.
I guess what I want to know is, how typical is my experience, both with M696's and with other Ducs. I really enjoy riding this bike, and I really like the mods I've done to it thus far (exhaust, some paint, some CF - I'll post pics this evening), but I'm reluctant to make a further commitment to Ducatis if they're all going to be like this. I'm thinking I need to learn to work on this thing myself, too, if I'm going to keep it, but I haven't historically been a big DIY person and my nearest mc knowledgeable friend is in Austin, so it'll take time to do.
Again, not meant to be a rant, I still love Ducatis and my Duc, I just wanted your feedback and experience.

[duclvr]

In Many ways Our experiences are similar and in other ways they are not.
696 was/is my first motorcycle. Many people tried to convince me to buy something else or nothing at all.
I have always wanted a Duc so I got one. I Know the styling is not extremely popular , but I love it.
My dealer is less than 5 minutes away and Have been great to work with. I trust them.
I've Had an oil leak which was fixed under warranty. I was without the bike for 2 days total.
I have not experienced any of the other issues that you have. If I did maybe I would be ranting as well.
I don't wrench on my own bike, except for some simple mods that I have done- levers, mirrors, sliders, some paint.
I don't know anyone within a three to four hr time frame that could personally help me with bike if I needed to.
So that is my experience and how it relates to yours. I hope this helped.

[the_Journeyman]

I will say it's often that a completely new line of car or bike often has teething problems regardless of builder.  The 696 being a completely new frame/body and new engine could easily have a problem or two.  No FHE with a 696 or a FI Monster for that matter, but I've had zero problems out of my M750 after 31,000 miles.  I'm thinking you might have an isolated incident of QC issues ~

JM

[fastwin]

Sorry for the hassles Swampduc. You are right, they are not "major" problems but they do start adding up as does the frustration/aggravation. Kinda gives your bike and Ducati a black eye.

Can't copy your stories but I can sympathize with your rant. I'm sure you expected better... who wouldn't? Having a dealer 80 miles away doesn't help and I am sure you considered that before the purchase.

I own several Ducs and several Jap SBKs. I love 'em all. But nothing beats the reliability of the Jap bikes... with all due respect to my beloved Ducs. Gas, oil, tires, insurance... that's it. Ever. Luckily my Ducs have been problem free for the most part. But I have heard similar local stories as yours from DMF folks. Nothing major but disappointing none the less. Hope it's all out of the way and you don't have to ever see the dealer again unless you want to order something.

[TrpprJhn]

I've Had an oil leak which was fixed under warranty. I was without the bike for 2 days total.

I'm curious- How many miles? What was the nature of the oil leak?

[Bun-bun]

No FHE with the 696, except for a test ride, but I can tell you that my '02 620FI has been almost bulletproof. I had one issue when I first picked up the bike, but that proved to be a combination of a bad battery(Can't blame Ducati for that.) and my stupidity(Don't keep your Duc key on the same ring as another chipped key!). Other than regular maintenance, the bike has had no other issues. Here's hoping your teething problems are over, and you'll have many trouble free years ahead.

[mitt]

All Duc's that are "new" models have problems:

4valver's had (have) flaking rockers
multistradas had frames crack, leaky fluid reservoirs, gauge problems
early 1000ds bikes had (have) soft valve guides
S2R's had FI problems
plastic tank bikes had (have) tank warping problems

etc etc.

Ducati isn't a billion dollar company with acres and acres of R&D and quality departments.  They will never have the same failure rates as the big 3, unless they don't change their models so often (the Monster 900 was "bullet proof" towards the end of its product life).

I will still keep my Monster forever, but I don't rely on it for commuting, or racking up 10,000 miles a year on.

mitt

[swampduc]

I'm curious- How many miles? What was the nature of the oil leak?

A few drops on startup in the AM, especially cold starts (bike was marking its territory  ). Turned out it was probably just insufficient tightening of the oil filter by the dealer - they only tightened to Ducati specs the 1st time, but you usually have to tighten more than that on Ducs. Anyway, wasn't a big deal on mine. Don't know about Duclvr's

[swampduc]

Thanks for the replies all. This is reassuring, as it seems there are lots of trouble-free bikes out there. I didn't expect this bike to be as reliable as my old Suzuki or Yamaha, but I was a little worried by the frequency of recent problems. I was thinking how much more painful it would be if these things happened out of warranty.
However, given that these probs don't seem too common, I'll likely continue with the master plan, which includes a SBK and then a sport-tourer, likely an old ST, unless the Multi replacement wows me ( muwahahaha). I should be living in New Orleans closer to the dealer in about a year or so.

[fastwin]

NOLA? Check out DesmonsterS4RS when you get there! He just moved there this last summer from Dallas/Ft.Worth. Name's Cory... great guy! Check out the DFWM board and you'll find he's still with us!!

Again, hope the problems are at an end. I think you should stay the course.

[T. Rush]

hey swampduc, sorry to here about your woes. I've had my m696 since July and other than the coil issue, which was taken care of at the 600 service by me simply telling the tech of the lurching I was experiencing and bits of stupidity on my part, it's been pain free. I have noticed though that the longer I own this bike the more I want to do my own maintenance. It almost seems like a rite of passage.  Especially since your thinking of more bikes in the stable, learning simple repairs such as replacing lights, fuses or wiring problems would be useful and almost necessary I would think. For me and I think most if not all on this forum own Ducati's for reasons other than the reliability factor. As stated most of the new models, new and old, have problems. Good luck and I hope things smooth out for the 696. There are some good maintenance books and downloads available in the tech and general forum.

[duclvr]

I'm curious- How many miles? What was the nature of the oil leak?

Here is the thread on my oil leak

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=16421.0

[swampduc]

NOLA? Check out DesmonsterS4RS when you get there! He just moved there this last summer from Dallas/Ft.Worth. Name's Cory... great guy! Check out the DFWM board and you'll find he's still with us!!

Again, hope the problems are at an end. I think you should stay the course.

Met him last fall at a group ride from the dealer. Cool guy. Right now, I live about an hour and a half from NO. I definitely plan on staying the course unless the bike completely falls apart in the next yr or so, which seems extremely unlikely. The more I hear back from ya'll, the more it seems like my issues are the exception to the rule.

[Popeye the Sailor]

I'd vote its just a new models issues.


What you might need is an old model...I know a guy with a really clean S4R.....

[sroberts152]

I'm sorry to hear of all your woes.  I got mine in Early June other than the coil issue (and a bent front rim suffered from a pot hole) I have had no issues.  With the exception of the improperly tightened oil filter and the known coil issue, it sounds like all of your problems are electrical.  It may be a bad harness or an exposed wire or a bad ground.   My old 900 SS had major electrical problems when the tank crushed a wire causing it to ground on the frame and destroy different fuses.